With a vote of 75-59, Minnesota is poised to become the 12 US state to have legal same-sex marriage. The arduous process of passing it through their legislator will also make Minn. the first mid-west state to achieve marriage equality through this process, as opposed to by popular vote.

Rep. Karen Clark, a democrat and lesbian who came out years ago, share her personal connection to the issue of marriage equality with the Associated Press shortly after the house vote. “My family knew firsthand that same-sex couples pay our taxes, we vote, we serve in the military, we take care of our kids and our elders and we run businesses in Minnesota,” she said.

Four of the Minnesota House’s Republicans voted in support of the bill, two democrats opposed it.

Iowa, the only other midwestern state to have legal same-sex marriage, achieved it through a court proceeding in 2009. Illinois hopes to follow in Minnesota’s footsteps and pass gay-marriage through their legislative bodies. Like Minn, Illinois also has a democratic majority house, which could help in the process.